Richard McAllister, Deputy Secretary to Governor Geary, wrote to Sara Robinson from Lecompton, enclosing an invitation to the Citizens' Ball on January 15th. McAllister had traveled to Washington with Governor Geary, and was with him when Geary's assassination was attempted. Geary's aim as governor was to put an end to political violence in Kansas by eliminating guerrilla warfare on the part of both free state and proslavery supporters.